Occupational Therapist (Home Based Primary Care)

Occupational Therapist

Clinical Duties: Evaluations take place primarily in the veterans' homes. The OT conducts an evaluation that gathers information from the medical record, interview of the veteran and other appropriate people such as family and caregiver or other providers, observation, and standardized and non-standardized testing, including body measurements, patient and significant other personal goals, and analyzes the demands of the occupation, inclusive of:

• Areas of occupation: ADL, IADL, education, work, play, leisure and social participation.
• Performance skills: motor (posture, mobility, coordination, strength and effort, energy), process (knowledge, organization, adaptation) and communication/interaction (information exchange, relations).
• Performance patterns: habits, routines, roles.
• Context(s): Cultural (including cultural contexts related to age, gender identity, and military history), physical environment, social, personal, spiritual, temporal, and virtual.
• Activity demands: the kind of tools, space, social, timing, body functions and body structures that are required by the activity.
• Client factors: body functions and structures. These include mental, sensory, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, speech and skin functions, and the body structures that support those functions.

Intervention Duties: The OT develops an intervention plan in collaboration with the veteran and family, caregiver and social support as appropriate. The plan considers the recommendations for the patient made by the primary care team or Home Based Primary Care Team (HBPC) plan of care and other specialty services. It considers the veteran's context and activity demands. The intervention plan includes objective and measurable goals with timeframes.

• Optimization or adaptation of performance skills and client factors such as strengthening, range of motion, fine motor tasks, and memory and attention exercises, especially as they enhance the ability to perform self-care, properly use durable medical equipment and optimize safety.
• Prescription of, fitting and training in use of basic ambulatory aides and simple to complex wheeled mobility and seating systems and/or remediations or modifications and other strategies to optimize the ability to perform areas of occupation, such as: ADL, IADL, education, work, leisure, and social interaction.
• Recommendations for home modifications and durable medical equipment (DME), to create safe access into, out of and within the home.

Maximization of Outcomes Duties: The OT maximizes patient outcomes by:

• Reassessing veterans' response to treatment and caregivers' response to education at regular intervals, including to ascertain their safe use of DME.
• Modifying the treatment plan and goals as needed to support veteran outcomes, including grading the interventions to best meet the veteran's and caregiver's learning abilities and other capabilities.
• Recommending appropriate discharge from OT, based on response to treatment, collaboration with others and the veteran's ongoing needs.
• Making referrals to other services as appropriate.

Health and Safety: The OT optimizes health and safety of self, patients, colleagues, and visitors by:

• Practicing proper infection control procedures in all patient care and clinical activities.
• Using all clinical equipment and supplies in the prescribed and safe manner.
• Following all health and safety protocols of the HBPC and SFVAHCS Outpatient programs.
• Complying with all safe and legal driving rules according to VA and state driving laws.

Clinical Information Management: The OT optimizes interdisciplinary care planning by:

• Recording patient care activities in the evaluation, reassessment, daily and discharge notes following all VA, Rehab, and OT regulations.
• Participating in formal and informal methods of communication about patient status.

Administrative: The OT supports the veterans, the OT Section, the OT Mobility program, the OT Mobility program, the Rehab Service, the HBPC program, the SFVAHCS facility and the Agency by:

• Maintaining all required records, including: encounter entry, consult completion, and others as requested.
• Submitting Prosthetic Consults in a timely manner and according to proper protocol.
• Monitoring clinic supply inventory to ensure adequate supply levels according to Rehabilitation Service protocol.
• Maintaining safe and orderly office and vehicle environments.
• Participating in developing Quality Improvement (QI) indicators, conducting QI audits

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 05789F/ 05790F/ 05791F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized